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Welcome back, my friends, to the "Battle" that never ends.
We're so glad you could attend. Come inside! Come inside!
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This is 'BATTLE OF THE BANDS' ('BOTB') where you listen to different recordings and vote for the one you like best. A new Battle gets posted on the 1st of each month and on the 7th, I place my own vote, tally 'em all up and announce the winner.
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Friend? Foe? Stranger? No matter, ALL are welcome. So pull up a chair, pour yourself 24 oz. of DOG BITE High Gravity Lager (or the poison of your choice) and turn it up to Eleven!
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[NOTE: Links to the first year of 'BOTB' (#1 - #24) can be found at the very bottom of this page.]

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

LESS THINKIN'...

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Q: What do you get if you give a six-pack of beer to a German Shepherd?
A: A drunken dog.

A man goes into a bar with his dog. He walks up and asks for a drink. The bartender says, "You can't bring that dog in here!" 
The guy, without missing a beat, says "This is my seeing-eye dog." 
"Oh, man," the bartender says, "I'm sorry. Here, the first one's on me." 
The man takes his drink and goes to a table near the door.

Another guy walks in the bar with a Chihuahua. The first guy sees him, stops him and says, "You can't bring that dog in here unless you tell the bartender it's a seeing-eye dog." 

The second man graciously thanks the first man and continues to the bar. He orders a drink. The bartender says, "Hey, you can't bring that dog in here!"

The second man replies, "This is my seeing-eye dog." 

The bartender says, "No, I don't think so. They do not have Chihuahuas as seeing-eye dogs." 
The man pauses for a second and then replies, "What?!?! They gave me a Chihuahua?!?!"

If you missed my last two blog bits about MY LIST OF TOP TEN FAVORITE BEERS (Which Goes "Up To Eleven"), you can read them by clicking HERE and HERE (or, HERE and HERE). I included some funny shit stuffs, and a little sumpin' for everyone, even non-beer-drinkers.

But before you go where I've told you to go... (No, not THERE! ...Hell, I wouldn't tell you to go to Hell. Let Glenda Beck burn alone!) ...please stay long enough to enjoy a song (or more) by one of my all-time favorite songwriters of... well... of all time. 

You protly won't recognize the name Bruce Blackman, but he's the main man responsible for the song that, more than any other, reminds me of my high school years, and ESPECIALLY of my very last day of high school. Why? Because I saw Bruce and his band play this song live during "Grad Nite" at Disneyland, the very night that I graduated from high school in 1977.


Yeah, you don't know Bruce Blackman, but you DEFINITELY know THIS SONG right HERE!

Truth is, Bruce never stopped writing great, Great, GREAT songs. Like, for example, the recently recorded gems 'JIM'S  CAFE' and 'DOING  NOTHING'. The latter one might very well be my favorite Bruce Blackman song ever. Yes, even better than his gigantic, famous hit. (You and me, too, Bruce! "I need a cold Mojito!")

LESS  THINKIN', MORE  DRINKIN' - by the great Bruce Blackman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lStdPgMFRn8


I lie in my bed and worry my head
‘Bout the trouble the world’s going through.
I’ve been so distraught. I just had a thought
‘Bout what a cowboy can do...

Less thinkin', more drinkin',
Throw your troubles away.
Today is better than tomorrow,
Let’s drink it away

Trailer park princess at the barbecue, 
She said, "Come on, cowboy, let’s dance!"
You gotta lighten up a little bit.
You gotta give a good time a chance.
We spun around to a tune or two 
And then she whispered in my ear,
"Don’t you know that I’m a perfect girl?
I’m gonna show up naked with beer."

Less thinkin', more drinkin',
Throw your troubles away.
Today is better than tomorrow,
Let’s drink it away

A knock-you-naked Margarita mix,
It kinda got me in the groove.
The only thing I’m feeling now 
Is desire not to move.
A Post-It note stuck to my chest,
It said, “Fred, what an awesome night!”
I got a Viking helmet on my head,
It ain’t mine ‘cause it don’t fit me right.

Less thinkin', more drinkin',
Throw your troubles away.
Today is better than tomorrow,
Let’s drink it away.

If you can lie on the floor without holding on,
You ain’t that drunk in the South
The only way you gonna get me up 
Is to kick my ass and shout...

Less thinkin', more drinkin',
Throw your troubles away.
Today is better than tomorrow,
Let’s drink it away.

If you can lie on the floor without holding on,
You ain’t that drunk in the South

Link--> BRUCE BLACKMAN'S YouTube Channel

If you like what you've heard here, consider buying some of Bruce's downloadable tracks, or purchasing his latest compact disc. It comes with my very highest rating of "R" (which is a step up from an A+).


And finally, I leave you with a link to a really wonderful, funny article about Bruce Blackman. Among other things, it explains how he got into music, wrote his most famous song, and how he came to meet his future wife...

"I asked her out twice and she turned me down. So, I said, I'm going to try one more time. I asked her the third time and she said 'Yes'. ... And that's the girl. It just sounded better to say 'came to Baltimore from Ole Miss', rather than MS State or Mississippi Delta Junior College."

Amen to THAT! Ha!

Link--> DELTA  LEGEND  BRUCE  BLACKMAN

Alright, you forgetful maroons, don't forget to scroll back up to the links and read my blog bits 'bout beer and other stuffs. Get-cha-azz...

~ Stephen T. McCarthy

8 comments:

  1. Bruce Blackman and Starbuck are from here in Atlanta. Love that song, especially the marimba solo. There a vid of them doing it at Chastain Park that always gets me out of a bad mood... have to look it up for you... I think it's in my "lite rawk" playlist. Check it out!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. JOHN ~
      Yep, I knew they were from Atlanta. I became a huge fan of all their stuff on the morning of June 18, 1977.

      The night before, I saw them perform 'MOONLIGHT FEELS RIGHT' and 'ROCK 'N' ROLL ROCKET' at Disneyland. The next morning I went out and bought both of those albums!

      At Disneyland, the night before, I was with my friend on the Matterhorn ride. And just as we got off it, we could hear 'Moonlight Feels Right' from a nearby stage.

      I loved that huge hit song but had no idea who had recorded it. I told my friend: "That really sounds like the real song!" (I couldn't believe that the original artist was at Disneyland that night and playing it for all us Southern California high school graduates.)

      So we went over to the stage in time to catch the last half of 'MOONLIGHT' and all of their closing song 'ROCK 'N' ROLL ROCKET'. I was blown away by seeing, for the first time, a drum solo featuring two drummers playing simultaneously!

      The next morning, I went to my local record store and bought both of their first two LPs. I've loved them - and Bruce Blackman's solo recordings - ever since.

      In fact, as weird as this sounds, the line "Is it fun to be serious? Ha!-Ha!-Ha!-Ha!" (spoken through a "Talk Box") near the end of 'ROCK 'N' ROLL ROCKET' played a huge part in making me lighten up.

      I was born very serious-minded. I always had a sense of humor (inherited from both parents) but I wasn't always comfortable expressing it.

      The more I listened to Starbuck's 'ROCK 'N' ROLL ROCKET', the more I came to realize: NO! IT'S NOT FUN TO BE SO SERIOUS!

      And as a result, I began to lighten up and let my humor DNA express itself.

      In some weird, little way, Starbuck's song 'ROCK 'N' ROLL ROCKET' changed my life! Sheesh! I'm so eazzzzzy!

      (Link:->) "IS IT FUN TO BE SERIOUS?"

      Blackman is incredible! The guy can write in any musical genre and sound totally comfortable. (No RAP or HEAVY METAL, but he writes and performs Rock, Pop, Blues, Jazz, Country, and Soul with total ease.) I think he's one of the most versatile and underrated songwriters ever!

      ~ D-FensDogG
      'Loyal American Underground'

      Delete
  2. You're on a roll lately with the blog posting. Sounds like you're doing a lot of thinking even if you are drinking along with it all.

    Never heard of Bruce Blackman though I'm certainly familiar with the "Moonlight" song--it's a good one.

    Arlee Bird
    A to Z Challenge Co-host
    Tossing It Out

    ReplyDelete
  3. I seriously, seriously, liked every song you posted. In fact, I am grateful I didn't missing seeing, reading, and listening to this post. Whowee! and Hot-dang!

    >>...If you can lie on the floor without holding on,
    You ain’t that drunk in the South"

    Ain't that the truth! Ha!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BRUCE BLACKMAN... [to quote from 'American Graffiti'] ..."Ain't he neat?"

      HA!

      Did you read the article I linked to about how he met his future wife, etc.? If not... DO IT!
      It's a great article, full of Southern stuffs and... (for the record)... I despise the racist, fascist, ultra-UnAmerican Abraham Lincoln! ...I only wish he had gone to the theatre years earlier.

      Oops! ...Has I turned this innocent music blog bit into a political rant? Well, how UNLIKE me! (*Nudge-Nudge*, *Wink-Wink*, *Snicker-Snicker*.)

      ~ D-FensDogG
      'Loyal Anti-Fascist, Anti-Racism (Anti-Lincoln) American Underground'

      Delete
    2. Dear California graduate,

      Yes, I read the article and got to play Jim's Cafe, again. Love that song!

      I agree -Abe weren't no friend.

      >>..."Oops! ...Has I turned this innocent music blog bit into a political rant? Well, how UNLIKE me! (*Nudge-Nudge*, *Wink-Wink*, *Snicker-Snicker*.)"

      Land -o'- Goshen, you're gonna wear yourself out being cute! Ha!

      Delete
    3. Yeah, 'JIM'S CAFE' is a real winner. I dig that Jazzy, Lounge-ish style. Great vocals by Bruce, too.

      >>... you're gonna wear yourself out being cute!

      Like Avis, I try harder.

      ~ D-FensDogG
      'Loyal American Underground'

      Delete
    4. POSTSCRIPT:
      He's drivin' a '64 Chevy, and didn't even stop at Stuckey's to show it off to the locals. I LOVE IT!!! How many people today even know what a Stuckey's is? Do they still exist out yonder yer way, Dixie?

      ~ D-FensDogG

      Delete

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